A University of Iowa researcher’s come up with a computer program to help choose the best method to try for couples trying to conceive a baby. Doctor Moshe Wald is a specialist in male infertility.
Wald says his computational model works with factors of both the man and woman in a couple facing in-vitro fertilization. He says there are many different methods used today to help infertile couples conceive. In some men it’s necessary to operate on them, to get sperm. Then doctors use it in an assisted-reproductive technique called IVF, in-vitro fertilization.
In his field, there’s a specific kind of IVF, in which just one sperm is injected into an egg taken from the wife’s body. The computer model takes factors into consideration using information about both the husband and wife, and analyzes their medical and other info to predict the success of the in-vitro fertilization procedure.
Why use a computer? He says it’s a long difficult process for couples who haven’t had luck conceiving a child on their own, and this helps take a look at what’s likely to offer them the best success. They could pick out the best sperm-retrieval procedure to use for a particular couple, for example. While IVF has been around for a long time now, Dr. Wald says his computer model’s a tool for doctors who want to give their patients the best chance of success, and determine who will get the most benefit from the procedures.